Oceans For Emotions: Keep facing the sun

I was a little surprised today when I answered the phone and a stranger's voice said unto me, "Are you the lady who writes Oceans for Emotions?" I quickly answered, "If you like it, I'll say 'Yes,' but if you don't like it, I'll say 'No.'" He said that by that strange answer that I must write it, and he does like it very much. Thus, I met 84-year-old Reggie from Yoakum, and we became fishing friends over the telephone and did not have to "Facebook," "Tweet" or e-mail anybody.

The sound of another's human voice is really special these days, and we spent some time sharing fish tales. When we "phone friends" had talked enough, Reggie said that he really wanted to teach me a fishing lesson that he had learned long ago. When any fisherman 10 years older than me wants to give me a fishing lesson, I listen because most fisher people older than me are dead. He said that it was about an article that I had written some time ago, about being able to catch fish from one side of a bridge and not the other.

Reggie spoke with authority when he told me that there is only one thing that scares all fish away, a shadow. He went on to say that he could bet me that when I caught fish from one side of that bridge I was fishing facing the sun and when I fished from the other side, my back was to the sun and casting my shadow on the water. I had to think about it for a while, and then I remembered pulling my fish hat almost down over my eyes when I cast under the line and caught a flounder, and I had it pushed back on my head when I caught nothing. I shared that with Reggie and in typical fishing language, he just said, "Yep, that dang shadow." Thus the wisdom of the aged will keep me facing the sun.

Dear Lord, I learned a life lesson today. Help me to keep facing Your Son and the shadows of my former sins will stay behind me. It's the only way to catch what I am casting for. And thank You, Father, for people who care enough to phone lessons to us "Younger" ones.